Reveal

In this conversation, Rob Meyer and Alexis Madrigal, both reporters from The Atlantic, delve into the harrowing early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reveal how a lack of reliable data and testing created chaos, leading to over a million deaths in the U.S. Their reporting spurred the COVID Tracking Project, a grassroots initiative that gathered critical data when federal agencies struggled. The duo emphasizes the urgent need for transparency and collaboration in public health to prepare for future pandemics.

Adam Aurand, a former mechanic, shares his transformative journey from battling schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse to finding hope. He reveals the chaotic loop of emergency rooms and psychiatric hospitals that many face in the flawed U.S. mental health system. The conversation dives into the emotional turmoil faced by families during hospital discharges and underscores the systemic failures in support for those with mental illness. Historical insights illuminate the urgent need for reform and community resources in improving mental health care.

Paul Rytting, Director of the Mormon church's risk management division, meets with Chelsea and Lorraine to discuss sexual abuse allegations. The episode reveals the church's legal playbook to keep abuse evidence from authorities and exemptions from reporting laws. It explores the Goodrich case and the church's handling of abuse allegations, shedding light on systemic issues within the Mormon Church.

When the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department in California wanted to purchase new firearms, it sold its used ones to help cover the cost. The old guns went to a distributor, which then turned around and sold them to the public. One of those guns—a Glock pistol—found its way to Indianapolis. That Glock was involved in the killing of Maria Leslie’s grandson, and the fact that it once belonged to law enforcement makes her loss sting even more. “My grandson was in his own apartment complex. He lived there,” Leslie said. “He should not have been murdered there, especially with a gun that traces back all the way to the California police department’s coffers.”Across the nation, it’s common practice for police departments to trade in their old weapons rather than destroy them. Tens of thousands of old cop guns are ending up in the hands of criminals. This week, in a collaboration with The Trace and CBS News, reporter Alain Stephens traces the journey of some of those guns from the police departments that sold them to the crime scenes where they ended up.  Then Stephens brings us reporting from The Gun Machine podcast series from WBUR and The Trace. He explores the reasons why police and other law enforcement agencies have greatly expanded their arsenals over recent decades.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

On a summer night in 1995, a sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed in a hotel parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama. When investigators arrived at the scene, they found no eyewitnesses and almost no evidence pointing to the shooter. Detectives ultimately zeroed in on a man named Toforest Johnson, who on that same night was with friends at a nightclub miles away. Johnson was tried twice for the murder and eventually convicted on the testimony of an “earwitness” – a woman who claimed to have overheard Johnson confessing to the crime. He has spent more than 25 years on Alabama’s death row.In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, finding details that cast major doubts about Johnson’s guilt. This week, in partnership with Lava for Good and the Earwitness podcast, Shelburne tells us the story of Johnson’s case. Click here to hear the full Earwitness podcast.This episode originally aired in November 2023. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The loss of land for Black Americans started with the government’s betrayal of its 40 acres and a mule promise – and it has continued for decades. Today, researchers are unearthing the details of Black land loss long after emancipation, and local governments across the country are finally asking: Can we repair a wealth gap for Black Americans that is rooted in slavery? And how? This week on Reveal, we explore the renewed fight for reparations. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Skidaway Island, Georgia, is home today to a luxurious community that the mostly White residents consider paradise: waterfront views, live oaks and marsh grass alongside golf courses, swimming pools and other amenities. In 1865, the island was a thriving Black community, started by freedmen who were given land by the government under the 40 acres program. They farmed, created a system of government and turned former cotton plantations into a Black American success story.But it wouldn’t last. Within two years, the government took that land back from the freedmen and returned it to the former enslavers. Today, 40 acres in The Landings development are worth at least $20 million. The history of that land is largely absent from day-to-day life. But over a two-and-a-half-year investigation, journalists at the Center for Public Integrity have unearthed records that prove that dozens of freed people had, and lost, titles to tracts at what’s now The Landings. “You could feel chills to know that they had it and then they just pulled the rug from under them, so to speak,” said Linda Brown, one of the few Black residents at The Landings.This week on Reveal, in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity, we also show a descendant her ancestor’s title for a plot of land that is now becoming another exclusive gated community. And we look at how buried documents like these Reconstruction-era land titles are part of the long game toward reparations. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Patricia Bailey, descendant of Jim Hutchinson, talks about the history of formerly enslaved Black Americans given land through 40 acres and a mule, only to have it taken away. The podcast delves into generational wealth, farmland protection, complex legacies on Edisto Island, LGBTQ+ rights, and emotional reflections on slavery's impact.

Exploring the debate on revitalizing the Lakota language, with legal battles and differing opinions on codification. Delving into the efforts of organizations like the Lakota Language Consortium, the legacy of Dolores Taken Alive, and conflicts over copyrighting. Spotlighting the struggles and complexities of preserving the Lakota language within the community and addressing ownership and control disputes.

Discover the water crisis in Arizona as foreign companies drain groundwater for mega farms, impacting local communities. Uncover the hidden investments by pension fund managers contributing to the problem. Learn how investigative journalism is shedding light on the water scarcity in the American West and who stands to profit from it.